The invention relates to a system and method for providing a representation on a display of the direction of force and power being applied via a catheter utilized in an invasive procedure, e.g., an ablation procedure.
In performing invasive cardiac catheterization procedures, such as ablation procedures, it is necessary to provide the clinician with various information on the catheter used in the procedure, including the force exerted on the catheter as well as a visual indication of the location of the ablation catheter tip relative to the tissue being treated. In many procedures these parameters of the catheter tip are determined utilizing electrodes disposed on the catheter adjacent the tip of the catheter that are used to sense the various parameters of the catheter relative to the tissue as the catheter is moved. These electrodes provide signals to a processor operably connected to the catheter that interprets the signals and provides an indication of the forces exerted on and the location of the catheter tip, and thus the ablation electrode disposed on the catheter tip relative to the tissue being treated.
Many different methods, structures and systems have been developed for the interpretation of these signals in order to provide an accurate and useful representation of the catheter tip and surrounding tissue. One such system and method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,876,817, entitled “ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY SYSTEM AND METHODS”, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. In this reference, an ablation catheter has a tissue ablation electrode and a plurality of microelectrodes distributed about the circumference of the tissue ablation electrode adjacent the tip of the catheter and electrically isolated therefrom. The plurality of microelectrodes defines a plurality of bipolar microelectrode pairs. A mapping processor connected to the microelectrodes is configured to acquire output signals from the bipolar microelectrode pairs, compare the output signals, and generate an output to a display to provide a clinician with a visual indication of an orientation of the tissue ablation electrode relative to the tissue, i.e., an indication of whether the tissue ablation electrode is in contact with the tissue.
In this system and method, the mapping processor can additionally utilize the signals from the microelectrodes to generate an electronic map of the tissue in which the catheter is positioned. This can enable the clinician utilizing the catheter to identify abnormal tissues within the tissue being mapped and/or examined.
However, while the representation on the display of the orientation of the electrode relative to the tissue is instructive in assisting the clinician in the performance of the procedure, it is desirable to be able to provide the clinician with a representation on the display that provides more information to the clinician than simply the structure of the tissue around the catheter, the orientation of the ablation electrode relative to the tissue or whether the ablation electrode is in contact with the tissue.
Accordingly, it is desirable to develop system and method for the determination of various parameters of the ablation catheter that enhances the information presented to the clinician based on the signals obtained from the microelectrodes on the catheter.